Kyzen #3
She bolts from the kitchen, bare feet slapping against the floor. She skids to a stop as Riven appears first. He gives her a big-ass smile as he takes a knee and opens his arms wide.
“Miss me?” he asks.
She purses her lips and crosses her arms.
“Where’s Creed?”
He scoffs and mimics her. “Somewhere behind me. Don’t you want to know what I brought you?”
Her arms immediately fall to her sides. “You got me something?”
“I did. Close your eyes.” She does so without question. “No peaking.”
She squints her lids even tighter and does a small happy dance as she patiently waits. With a snap of his fingers, a bouquet of angel orchids appears in his hand.
“Okay, open them.”
She gasps, then sticks her face in the flowers, inhaling deeply.
“They’re so pretty. Thank you, Mr. Riven,” she says, then her eyes whip over his shoulder. “Creed!”
He barely has time to adjust before she’s locking her arms around his waist. He awkwardly holds the box in his hand above her head, then stares at all of us like he thought she wouldn’t care for him on his return.
Riven rises from his knee, still holding the flowers, and I bite back the laugh desperately trying to burst out of me. He splays his hand across his chest, and his face contorts in utter disgust.
“Did she just call me Mr. Riven?” he asks like it’s the worst thing he’s ever been called.
“She has manners,” Thayla says through her small laugh.
“Taurnshit. She calls Creed, Creed. We’re going to have to work on that. I don’t like this dynamic that’s started. Not one little bit.”
The two of us shake our heads at him.
Amick sets the box down that he carries in and moves straight to Thayla. Her eyes drift shut as he lays a kiss to her forehead.
“How’d everything go?” she asks him.
“As expected.”
“Did you get all my stuff?” Laney asks, stealing our attention once again as she finally releases Creed.
A small smirk tugs at his mouth. “All of it.”
Her entire face lights up, and she peers around him as Derivius, Nero, and Sevryn come in and set down boxes in the living room.
“Lambrit, can I go through all of it and make sure it’s all here?”
He gives her a tender smile. “Go ahead.”
Her arms stretch up for the box in Creed’s arms, and he sets it on the floor for her. Then he has to step over her as she drops to her knees without hesitation and tears the cardboard open.
Childlike wonder is always adorable.
“Thank you all for going for her,” Lambrit says once everyone makes their way to the kitchen.
“No thanks needed at all Lam-the-man,” Riven says, patting him on his back as he slumps into a chair.
We all jerk our attention right back to Laney as an ear-piercing shriek rips out of her.
“I found it!”
The excitement in her voice is immediate and bright.
“Found what Laney girl?” Thayla asks.
“My favorite stuffy.”
She pulls the stuffed animal—that oddly resembles a Veilatara—free and holds it up for half a second before hugging it tightly to her chest. We all smile at her happy smile.
Then…it fades.
Slowly, she lifts it higher, pressing her face into the worn fabric. Her fingers curl tighter, whitening around her knuckles, as she pulls it away from her.
“It smells like Momma…”
A soft, broken sound leaves her as she folds in on herself, clutching the stuffy tight against her chest. Tears silently stream down her face, and that makes witnessing this so much fucking harder.
“I want to go home.”
Her heartbreak is so quiet.
Lost. Like she doesn’t understand why she can’t.
For a second, no one moves, like the sudden flip from excited to devastated has stopped time.
Annalise is the first to reach her. She drops beside Laney without hesitation, pulling her gently into her arms.
“I’ve got you, baby girl,” she murmurs into her hair.
Laney shakes her head against her, and her small fingers tighten around her stuffed animal.
“I want them back…”
Lambrit chokes on his breath and Thayla lays her fingers over her lips as tears well in her eyes. They share a long look with one another. A heavy, lost, confused look that passes between people when you don’t know what to do. My chest squeezes so violently it damn near steals my breath away.
Her other hand flexes at her side and her jaw tightens as a flicker of something crosses her face. It comes and goes just like that. She shoves it away, squares her shoulders, and then lowers herself to the ground beside Annalise and Laney.
Laney doesn’t hesitate to crawl into her lap.
Iric and I share a long look. His tense smile basically says, I warned you this would happen.
My gaze drifts toward Lambrit, where he’s still standing frozen in his spot. His face continues to break as he stares at his sister fall apart all over again. His throat bobs with each harsh gulp he gets down.
Then, something flickers across his face as well. It’s like he’s taking everything he’s witnessing and locking it into a place somewhere deep inside himself.
Our eyes meet for half a second. Heavy unease settles in my gut as he turns and walks toward his room.
I’ve seen that look plenty of times before. Just not from him.
Whatever he just decided, I’m not sure we’re going to like it.